This game had been postponed from the opening day
of the season as there was a Polio outbreak in Blackburn.

1968

Neil Ruddock,
central defender 1985-1988 and 1992-1995, born.

1973

Edwin Herod,
full back 1928-1931, dies.

1981

The 100th FA
Cup Final was to be contested between Spurs and Manchester City at
Wembley. The processions before the game to celebrate the
Centenary Final were performed in rain and the conditions added to the
match that followed. A poor game was not helped by the wet pitch
and Manchester City took the lead when Tommy Hutchinson scored with a
flying header. Spurs looked lack-lustre and Argentinian striker
Ricardo Villa was substituted by Keith Burkinshaw. The big man
trudged around the track and down the tunnel looking forlorn as this was
supposed to be a day to remember for him. However, when Ossie Ardiles
was halted by a Gerry Gow foul, a Tottenham free-kick was awarded about
20 yards out on the right corner of the box from the City goal.
Hoddle curled the ball towards the far side, but Tommy Hutchinson in the
wall had read his intentions and moved to block the ball. However,
he only managed to connect with his shoulder and inadvertently deflect
it past his keeper and in for the equaliser. Spurs fans were
relieved that they had got back into the match, as apart from a Hoddle
drive that Corrigan managed to fist away, there was little else to
commend this match. Extra time was played out in a manner similar
to the rest of the game and the two sides had to return five days later
to replay the Final.

Spurs
travelled to Belgium for the first leg of the UEFA Cup Final to meet
Anderlecht. The Belgian side had overcome a semi-final first leg deficit
against Nottingham Forest in suspicious circumstances, but took their
chance in this match to prove it was not underhand (something that was
confirmed years later). The atmosphere at Parc Astrid was tense,
mainly owing to the death of a Spurs fan the night before the match
after he had been shot by a bar owner. Police were everywhere and
police dogs bit fans as they waited to go into the match. Once
inside, it got no better, as Police tried to remove flags from the
fencing and when fans tried to take them down, the Police charged into
the terrace with no regard for who they were hitting with their
truncheons.

The match itself started well for Spurs, going
close on a number of occasions before Paul Miller stuck his head onto a
corner and grabbed a very important away goal in the second half.
Captain Steve Perryman picked up a booking which would rule him out of
the second leg and then just before the end, Tony Parks fumbled the ball
and Anderlecht got an equaliser when the rebound was poked home from
close range.